Will Fosun realise?

[WolfInSheep'sClothing]

And I don't know how many times this has to be gone over but Fabio and Sasa had to go before anyone else could have been brought in the last window and the club tried everything to bring in new strikers.

We had no money, so we were never going to get anybody. They shouldn't have gone. Same with Guedes.

 

[SmiffyWolf]

There is no strength in depth. That is a problem.

But with those problems we're still having our best season for three years. You're arguing a point I didn't make.

So your first paragraph lies with the owners ??? That's my point .

 

[SteveBullsKnee]

Well, according to your very strongly repeated criticism at the start of the season, Fosun were making a massive mistake getting O Neill as manager. All your in the know, up to data date mates all knew he was terrible too and no one in your circle of football expert contacts rated him. Now you know more than Fosun in its long term strategy for our club. Our house is built on sand and our owners are incompetent.
It just seems that your opinion clashes with reality. We are competitive. We are in the top half of the league. We didn't get a no 9 in January, but the ones we wanted fell through at the last minute, and to get 4 strikers injured is damn bad luck.
No owners could forsee the pandemic, although perhaps you did, but the reality is that there have been setbacks, we do need new signings and the stadium needs improvement, but Wolves are now an established premier league side with some of the best players we've seen for many years.
Perhaps you might moderate your criticism and also accept there's a difference between opinion and fact.

Post of the week!

 

[SteveBullsKnee]

We had no money, so we were never going to get anybody. They shouldn't have gone. Same with Guedes.

How many unhappy players do you keep before it affects the group?

 

[WolfInSheep'sClothing]

How many unhappy players do you keep before it affects the group?

We seem to be aiming for zero, which I can understand but would they really be unhappy here now with the opportunities for them available?

 

[wolfslair]

Well, according to your very strongly repeated criticism at the start of the season, Fosun were making a massive mistake getting O Neill as manager. All your in the know, up to data date mates all knew he was terrible too and no one in your circle of football expert contacts rated him. Now you know more than Fosun in its long term strategy for our club. Our house is built on sand and our owners are incompetent.
It just seems that your opinion clashes with reality. We are competitive. We are in the top half of the league. We didn't get a no 9 in January, but the ones we wanted fell through at the last minute, and to get 4 strikers injured is damn bad luck.
No owners could forsee the pandemic, although perhaps you did, but the reality is that there have been setbacks, we do need new signings and the stadium needs improvement, but Wolves are now an established premier league side with some of the best players we've seen for many years.
Perhaps you might moderate your criticism and also accept there's a difference between opinion and fact.

What’s the pandemic got to do with the lack of depth this season???

But I said that relying on Neto and hwang and their injury records was an accident waiting to happen and a bad idea at the time as they have terrible records the last two seasons. It was very easy to see that what has happened could have when you look at the fitness records!

Also i owned up to my error…. And my mates went on the wind up when I was in the middle of quite a bad period for my mental health….. I owned up on here to that….. so I owned up to my error, one made when I wasn’t able to be rational and should have taken a mental health break from here as I wasn’t well….. but good to see try to score cheap points.

And the strategy of building a squad is more than the 11 that I said is a good one….. so in terms of squad building they have failed!!!

They should have had the striker ready for when Sasa left! Not sort it after….:.

Also Jeff said we are viewing ourselves as a newly promoted side….. so after five years, that is a sad statement to make is it not??

Shows they aren’t achieving their strategy no?

And I said the squad foundations were built on sand…… they are as there is no depth after the starting 11…… so if you are going to attack me get it right!!!

I didn’t criticise the business operations of fosun and that plan….. I criticised the set up of the playing squad…..

 

[Lobo de Ouro]

You said that the 11 shows there is a strategy….

If I take your point as it looks, then the strategy is to build a house on foundations of sand! As the strategy was to build an 11 and not have a proper squad and that isn’t a strategy….. well it isn’t one for a competent ownership team.

To have a proper strategy in elite sport to then have a competitive team you need an 11 and strength in depth and in that regard they have failed miserably.

To only build a good 11, they have only done part of the job or part of a strategy….. they haven’t completed one in any way shape or form

My point was that 7/11ths of the team that is doing so well was bought in the last three years. That in that time we have bought a lot of very good players. Replacing Neves and Moutinho with Gomes and Lemina shows a strategy. Signing experienced defenders like Dawson shows a strategy. Signing exciting young players like Ait Nouri shows a strategy. Spending £44m on wonderful attacking players like Cunha shows a strategy (and intent). Signing Nunes, making a quick profit and getting a quality young midfielder in Doyle as part of the deal shows a strategy.

Injuries have hurt us and shown a clear issue with the squad depth... but it's an almost unavoidable problem for a club like ours with so many injuries. We can't have our cake and eat it.

The outcome of the season so far (most points for years, best football for years) shows the strategy is having a positive impact. Our bench for the last game, and tonight show that things are far from perfect, but that's where we are.

 

[wolfslair]

My point was that 7/11ths of the team that is doing so well was bought in the last three years. That in that time we have bought a lot of very good players. Replacing Neves and Moutinho with Gomes and Lemina shows a strategy. Signing experienced defenders like Dawson shows a strategy. Signing exciting young players like Ait Nouri shows a strategy. Spending £44m on wonderful attacking players like Cunha shows a strategy (and intent). Signing Nunes, making a quick profit and getting a quality young midfielder in Doyle as part of the deal shows a strategy.

Injuries have hurt us and shown a clear issue with the squad depth... but it's an almost unavoidable problem for a club like ours with so many injuries. We can't have our cake and eat it.

The outcome of the season so far (most points for years, best football for years) shows the strategy is having a positive impact. Our bench for the last game, and tonight show that things are far from perfect, but that's where we are.

We have ONE cb cover….. that was obviously a risk point and with Dawson out we have had no cover or ability to rotate or make subs for fresh legs there.

We are there because we miss-spent money, that meant we couldn’t have any strength in depth in any area other than midfield that is the jewel in our crown!

Also, note I have said multiple times we have build a very good starting 11….. they completed the mission fantastically there, no arguement from me there mate. But the bench, then players there after is painfully weak and poor. We have lost to two championship teams when we have started teams using the majority of the replacements, that speaks volumes.

Our injury list isn’t anywhere near as bad as others….. our paper thin squad is why it is so bad…… others like Newcastle, Brentford and others have had it much much worse with the number of injuries

 

[SteveBullsKnee]

We seem to be aiming for zero, which I can understand but would they really be unhappy here now with the opportunities for them available?

Well Guedes hated it here, poor Fabio was there to see how unhappy he was. Sasa didn’t kick up a fuss but there was plenty of noise in the German press from his own agent that he was desperate to get out.

 

[SteveBullsKnee]

We have ONE cb cover….. that was obviously a risk point and with Dawson out we have had no cover or ability to rotate or make subs for fresh legs there.

We are there because we miss-spent money, that meant we couldn’t have any strength in depth in any area other than midfield that is the jewel in our crown!

Also, note I have said multiple times we have build a very good starting 11….. they completed the mission fantastically there, no arguement from me there mate. But the bench, then players there after is painfully weak and poor. We have lost to two championship teams when we have started teams using the majority of the replacements, that speaks volumes.

Our injury list isn’t anywhere near as bad as others….. our paper thin squad is why it is so bad…… others like Newcastle, Brentford and others have had it much much worse with the number of injuries

Have any other club had so many injuries in one position though? That’s our issue. We could cope with 4-5 injuries across the squad, but having 4 injured in the same position has killed us. Similarly I think most clubs would suffer with 4 forwards out at the same time.

 

[wolfslair]

Well Guedes hated it here, poor Fabio was there to see how unhappy he was. Sasa didn’t kick up a fuss but there was plenty of noise in the German press from his own agent that he was desperate to get out.

Moving them out was 100% the right move for the squad as a whole but also the individual players who weren’t happy.

We just needed to have the replacement ready to pull in for their photoshoot as soon as Fabio and sasa left.

 

[wolfslair]

Have any other club had so many injuries in one position though? That’s our issue. We could cope with 4-5 injuries across the squad, but having 4 injured in the same position has killed us. Similarly I think most clubs would suffer with 4 forwards out at the same time.

But knowing two have had poor fitness records last season and this one, with Neto already having one long term that he was returning from was a clear an obvious risk! The percentages told you that this was likely!

So it was poorly planned. It was avoidable….

If Neto and hwang had stayed fit and Sarabia and cunha went down only, I would agree with you as they haven’t got fitness issues. That would have been almost impossible for any one to call.

But hwang and Neto going down was always highly likely.

 

[Andywolf74]

A very stark reminder of how difficult it is to run a Premier League football club sustainably is hidden within today’s story that Brighton made a record £123 million profit for 22/23. Sounds great but it took a sixth place finish and a run to the FA Cup semi final + Chelsea acting like some Brighton & Hove Albion benevolent fund with ridiculous fees paid for players and to poach Potter and his back room staff. The club have now paid £40 odd million back of the £423 million owner / lifelong fan Tony Bloom poured into the club as an interest free loan.
Two things stand out to me:
Despite the most successful season on the pitch in the club’s history, two or three high value player sales less would have potentially meant making a loss. The player sales have also weakened the team this season, as they are highly unlikely to qualify for the Europa League again.
As an owner Tony Bloom isn’t the norm, as he’s a lifelong fan who managed to plough a fortune into the club before the current ffp rules came into play. Most club owners understandably wouldn’t want to plough hundreds of millions into a football club to wait indefinitely for the money to maybe be paid back.

 

[berwickwolf]

What’s the pandemic got to do with the lack of depth this season???

But I said that relying on Neto and hwang and their injury records was an accident waiting to happen and a bad idea at the time as they have terrible records the last two seasons. It was very easy to see that what has happened could have when you look at the fitness records!

Also i owned up to my error…. And my mates went on the wind up when I was in the middle of quite a bad period for my mental health….. I owned up on here to that….. so I owned up to my error, one made when I wasn’t able to be rational and should have taken a mental health break from here as I wasn’t well….. but good to see try to score cheap points.

And the strategy of building a squad is more than the 11 that I said is a good one….. so in terms of squad building they have failed!!!

They should have had the striker ready for when Sasa left! Not sort it after….:.

Also Jeff said we are viewing ourselves as a newly promoted side….. so after five years, that is a sad statement to make is it not??

Shows they aren’t achieving their strategy no?

And I said the squad foundations were built on sand…… they are as there is no depth after the starting 11…… so if you are going to attack me get it right!!!

I didn’t criticise the business operations of fosun and that plan….. I criticised the set up of the playing squad…..

I'll answer your points some other time, but in all fairness, I wasn't trying to score cheap points and I do wish you all the best with your mental heath issues.
Let's hope we get a win tonight!

 

[Wolf 82]

Big summer ahead. I will give them the benefit of the doubt on FFP the last 12 months, but this summer will say a lot.

There is a lot of promising stuff to come from this season, but it can be easily undone with a poor end to the season. Players could lose heart, the manager could lose faith, fans could get hostile. We have a solid enough base to move onwards and upwards next season.. but the margin is tiny to becoming relegation candidates also.

Who would want to own a Prem club, honestly..

 

[RMNottm]

Got to follow FFP or successor rules

 

[wolvesjoe]

Brighton make record £123m profit after fine season

Brighton announce record profit and turnover in 2022-23 after the most successful season in the Premier League club's history.

www.bbc.com

That's what a successful season can bring.

Brighton set up for major squad development this and next season.

Wolves had a similar horison to aim at this January, but chose to be ultra-cautious.

Painful mistake.

We dont know yet just how painful.

 

[Wignall 3-0]

Who would want to own a Prem club, honestly..

Who would want to own any football club? They are all a potential bottomless pit.

 

[wolfslair]

I'll answer your points some other time, but in all fairness, I wasn't trying to score cheap points and I do wish you all the best with your mental heath issues.
Let's hope we get a win tonight!

To put people in the picture of where my life was…….

I am currently going through testing to see if I have autism, believed to be Asperger’s (wait time in my trust is crap)

In the week before GON was appointed, my childhood best friend and best man at my wedding committed suicide, he had gambling debts that we didn’t know about and the morning of the day he killed himself i didn’t loan him the money he asked for.

When you are a carer like I am, it is hard to keep friends as people don’t understand the pressures of being a carer while balancing trying to have a career. He stood by me, looked out for me and was always there for me. He was also a wolves fan…..

So to lose him, knowing that I couldn’t help
Him in his hour of need killed me! I was already struggling at the time, but was holding on mentally thanks to my counsellor, she is awesome (if you need help get one! They are worth their weight in gold). But losing him crushed me! Made me feel guilt and shame I couldn’t help him in his hour of need.

My London based football mates didn’t know, what was going on so they wanted to have some banter, didn’t know the damage it did to me…….. I have never guilt tripped them as in another time I would have laughed it off….. but I wasn’t in a rational place and my escape of wolves seemed in chaos at a time I needed stability….. not great but it was what it was…..

I took my pain out on here on GON…… he didn’t deserve it, I shared my horror and regret for that time in later posts. I shared I was too trusting of mates who were on the wind up which was a massive mistake, but I wasn’t well.

All I can say is everyone, please for the love of god know you are never alone!!!! Reach out for help, it is a strength and not a weakness!!!

We all love wolves, see the world differently and some see positives where others see negatives.

We might disagree, but we all love wolves. It just comes across differently

 

[Wolf 82]

To put people in the picture of where my life was…….

I am currently going through testing to see if I have autism, believed to be Asperger’s (wait time in my trust is crap)

In the week before GON was appointed, my childhood best friend and best man at my wedding committed suicide, he had gambling debts that we didn’t know about and the morning of the day he killed himself i didn’t loan him the money he asked for.

When you are a carer like I am, it is hard to keep friends as people don’t understand the pressures of being a carer while balancing trying to have a career. He stood by me, looked out for me and was always there for me. He was also a wolves fan…..

So to lose him, knowing that I couldn’t help
Him in his hour of need killed me! I was already struggling at the time, but was holding on mentally thanks to my counsellor, she is awesome (if you need help get one! They are worth their weight in gold). But losing him crushed me! Made me feel guilt and shame I couldn’t help him in his hour of need.

My London based football mates didn’t know, what was going on so they wanted to have some banter, didn’t know the damage it did to me…….. I have never guilt tripped them as in another time I would have laughed it off….. but I wasn’t in a rational place and my escape of wolves seemed in chaos at a time I needed stability….. not great but it was what it was…..

I took my pain out on here on GON…… he didn’t deserve it, I shared my horror and regret for that time in later posts. I shared I was too trusting of mates who were on the wind up which was a massive mistake, but I wasn’t well.

All I can say is everyone, please for the love of god know you are never alone!!!! Reach out for help, it is a strength and not a weakness!!!

We all love wolves, see the world differently and some see positives where others see negatives.

We might disagree, but we all love wolves. It just comes across differently

Sounds like a terrible time. We all just react on instinct, like witty animals, we never stop to wonder what is going on.

Hope you’re doing better mate. Life has a habit of feeling average when things are actually good and then from nowhere, you realise why all Shakespeare plays were tragedies.

You will feel average again, but you will appreciate it more.

 

[Andywolf74]

To put people in the picture of where my life was…….

I am currently going through testing to see if I have autism, believed to be Asperger’s (wait time in my trust is crap)

In the week before GON was appointed, my childhood best friend and best man at my wedding committed suicide, he had gambling debts that we didn’t know about and the morning of the day he killed himself i didn’t loan him the money he asked for.

When you are a carer like I am, it is hard to keep friends as people don’t understand the pressures of being a carer while balancing trying to have a career. He stood by me, looked out for me and was always there for me. He was also a wolves fan…..

So to lose him, knowing that I couldn’t help
Him in his hour of need killed me! I was already struggling at the time, but was holding on mentally thanks to my counsellor, she is awesome (if you need help get one! They are worth their weight in gold). But losing him crushed me! Made me feel guilt and shame I couldn’t help him in his hour of need.

My London based football mates didn’t know, what was going on so they wanted to have some banter, didn’t know the damage it did to me…….. I have never guilt tripped them as in another time I would have laughed it off….. but I wasn’t in a rational place and my escape of wolves seemed in chaos at a time I needed stability….. not great but it was what it was…..

I took my pain out on here on GON…… he didn’t deserve it, I shared my horror and regret for that time in later posts. I shared I was too trusting of mates who were on the wind up which was a massive mistake, but I wasn’t well.

All I can say is everyone, please for the love of god know you are never alone!!!! Reach out for help, it is a strength and not a weakness!!!

We all love wolves, see the world differently and some see positives where others see negatives.

We might disagree, but we all love wolves. It just comes across differently

We’re all one big Wolves family at the end of the day mate and totally get that Wolves can give a much needed lift when life can be really tough.
I’m really sorry to hear about your friend taking his own life and I think gambling can be one of the toughest addictions, as it’s now available 24/7. I hope you managed to not beat yourself up about not loaning the money, as in reality it would highly likely have been a very temporary fix to a much bigger problem.
Absolute respect for you being so open and honest in your post and fantastic to hear your getting support. From someone who was hospitalised with crippling anxiety during lockdown it’s a beautiful feeling to turn the situation around.

 

[WeAreTheWolvesII]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1775271079663272003

Haha full of it now. Where was this energy in January?

(by the way, he's obviously completely right)

 

[wolfslair]

We’re all one big Wolves family at the end of the day mate and totally get that Wolves can give a much needed lift when life can be really tough.
I’m really sorry to hear about your friend taking his own life and I think gambling can be one of the toughest addictions, as it’s now available 24/7. I hope you managed to not beat yourself up about not loaning the money, as in reality it would highly likely have been a very temporary fix to a much bigger problem.
Absolute respect for you being so open and honest in your post and fantastic to hear your getting support. From someone who was hospitalised with crippling anxiety during lockdown it’s a beautiful feeling to turn the situation around.

Sadly mate, I destroyed myself mentally…… being a carer is very isolating, so to lose him let alone in the way we did. Was a double whammy!!!

My counsellor is top notch! Takes no **** and gives tough love which helps me!

I cannot take back what I said…… i talked around it in a previous post where i manned up and said i made mistakes.

But i think, and justified in their thinking as i was vitriolic to GON that I am a raving loon…. Who was a complete **** for just being a knobs sake……. But I think it is time people knew where I was so we can try to move past it as a person in a bad place making silly and bad choices that they regret in hindsight that if they weren’t in that space would have happened to that level!

As in my own career post football, I am all about giving people a break or hiring someone to grow into a role! So my approach there doesn’t match my professional outlook and approach! So i really wasn’t close to a rational or a person who should have been on a forum! But you often don’t see it till it’s too late and you do something publicly you cannot take back….. and I did that……

I won’t talk about it again, the shame and contrition for my posts are there on a few posts in a previous thread! I said those nasty things about GON! I cannot take them back! I deserve people having negative opinions of me from them. I can only ask people let me earn some respect back as I wasn’t in a great space or a person I am proud of!

 

[Flaneur]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1775271079663272003

Haha full of it now. Where was this energy in January?

(by the way, he's obviously completely right)

Like us fans, he's probably just as frustrated that a huge chance of success/europe (either through the league or FA cup) has seemingly fizzled out.

Think that's the first time he's ever really spoke out at FOSUN to the media, so I presume that having to play a hugely depleted squad the past month or so has got to him a bit.

 

[Bill McCai]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1775271079663272003

Haha full of it now. Where was this energy in January?

(by the way, he's obviously completely right)

Julen Lo'Neill

 

[Kebab Warrior]

Julen Lo'Neill

That’s him off

 

[wolfslair]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1775271079663272003

Haha full of it now. Where was this energy in January?

(by the way, he's obviously completely right)

Hold on….. is he saying what many of us said and got slaughtered for saying????

 

[JamesWolves]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1775271079663272003

Haha full of it now. Where was this energy in January?

(by the way, he's obviously completely right)

Nuno, Lage, JL and now O'Neill the trend continues.

Amazing how Fosun never learn. Are they just incompetent or do they generally think running a small squad is smart ? or just doing it on the cheap ?

 

[Kebab Warrior]

Hold on….. is he saying what many of us said and got slaughtered for saying????

He’s saying ‘I want to go be assistant at United’

 

[Starsky]

Really not a good look for Jeff/the club following JL's comments.

 

[Perton Wolf]

Good for him for speaking out.

Lop and now GON are bang on.

FOSUN have been all over the place since COVID. There's been no strategy and no plan. Just stumbling from one disaster window to the next.

 

[WeAreTheWolvesII]

Like us fans, he's probably just as frustrated that a huge chance of success/europe (either through the league or FA cup) has seemingly fizzled out.

Think that's the first time he's ever really spoke out at FOSUN to the media, so I presume that having to play a hugely depleted squad the past month or so has got to him a bit.

Of course he is, but this problem was in January.

He bottled standing up to them when something could be done. Imagine if he had called them out after beating the **** in the FA Cup! They would've acted.

Instead, he insisted everything was fine and even burnt his bridges with Sasa and Fabio.

Now, it's a problem.

It's a minor issue really, I'm glad he's finally grown a pair but I wish he did it when it mattered as it could've changed things.

What does he achieve from doing this now? Apart from throwing Chiwome under the bus?

 

[WeAreTheWolvesII]

Hold on….. is he saying what many of us said and got slaughtered for saying????

Exactly mate.

 

[wolfslair]

Good for him for speaking out.

Lop and now GON are bang on.

FOSUN have been all over the place since COVID. There's been no strategy and no plan. Just stumbling from one disaster window to the next.

The couldn’t pay the small amount of money line is damning!!!!

Shows how badly run we have been!

People clamour in the glow that we haven’t been fined for breaching ffp. But they ignore the fact we had to have an urgent fire sale, that cost us one manager and seems to have his replacement ****ed off that he could have a player in Jan because our financial state is ****ed!!!!

 

[JamesWolves]

The couldn’t pay the small amount of money line is damning!!!!

Shows how badly run we have been!

People clamour in the glow that we haven’t been fined for breaching ffp. But they ignore the fact we had to have an urgent fire sale, that cost us one manager and seems to have his replacement ****ed off that he could have a player in Jan because our financial state is ****ed!!!!

For what could have been just a -4/-6 deduction

 

[Summer_Wolf]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1775271079663272003

Haha full of it now. Where was this energy in January?

(by the way, he's obviously completely right)

Fosun are a total joke. Begging for players just like Julen, Bruno and Nuno before him.

 

[wolfslair]

For what could have been just a -4/-6 deduction

And that shows how badly run we were!!!!

Fosun voted for these rules!!!!! So they shouldn’t have been caught unaware of it!!!!!

Bad financial planning and forecasting, which for a company like fosun is baffling

 

[WeAreTheWolvesII]

We would not have been deducted points.

Please stop with that, check the figures.

O'Neil himself even said in January that he wasn't sure if it was a club issue or FFP which says it all.

This was a club decision because we're safe.

 

[Rabid Wolf]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1775271079663272003

Haha full of it now. Where was this energy in January?

(by the way, he's obviously completely right)

Who's the Prem League number 9 or was that Yuri?

 

[Urko]

He knew the financial constraints he was working to when he took the,job.